It's true you must know the limitations of any caliber rifle. The deer my son shot weighted about 120 to140 pounds. Witch is average weight for down here. He shoots them with the same angles you would with a bow. But when he shoots hogs witch could weight 300 plus, he shoots them behind the ear.

I've been using a Browning A-bolt Hunter in a .243 for the past 4 Deer Seasons from 2005 to 2009 and it has taken down several large Doe's,and 2 nice 8-Point Bucks I have on my wall.Don't under estimate the .243 Rifle,good shot placement and a heavy 100 grain bullet will do plenty of damage and take down a Deer!I also use it for Predator/Coyote Hunting and 3 Coyotes went down this summer and 1 more Coyote about 3 weeks ago...several of the Coyotes were out to 100-125 yards away!What I like so much about the .243 Rifle is the low recoil and it is a very accurate gun!I wouldn't be shooting it in thick brush like a 30-30 or 30-06 and most of my shots on Deer have been 30-75 yards away and up to 100 yards out at the most on Deer.Be sure to sight Your .243 in and know where Your hitting.Oh yeah...I use the Hornady Custom shells in 100 grain.

243 Is more than enough gun. Its all that I use. My largest deer (250 dressed and weighed on a scale) went 5 feet and tipped over. The 243 has taken more than 50 deer in our deer camp over the last 6-7 years. We all use the barnes triple shock and are very impresed with the damage they do to the vitals. Always turns the lungs to jelly. The farthest one has ever run was 30 yards and we have never had to shoot a deer 2 times. Last year my dad shot a buck with his 30-06 and it ran 150 yards with a double lung shot. He will be switching to a 243 because he has seen the light.

I used a 243 for a lot of years never had a deer run more then 10 yards. I shot deer with the 3006 and 270 as well and see no difference. A well placed shot will ALWAYS be a kill, if you tell me any different I would tell you, you didn't hit the deer where you thought you hit it. People in our hunting party take them out west every year for long range shots due to its flat traveling, fast moving bullet. Out west we hunt mulies, whitetail, pronghorn, and preditors. So its not just small game animals. You tell me any difference I would disagree.

243 is plenty of gun to kill any deer. Ain't nothing "marginal" about it. The only variable is who pulls the trigger. The comments about the Barnes TSX are spot on! It will tear up everything inside a deer. As has been said, a 223 will put one down in it's tracks. Saw it on the tube, actually a 12 year old girl dropped a big ole doe where she stood! Gotta have the biggest gun is just like gotta have the biggest truck!!

The .243 is adequate for deer. It will do the job 99% of the time and often it will do a right nice job. If you are like me though and want a rifle that is much more than adequate, will do the job when less than an optimul shot is presented, and will do the job even if shot placement is off a bit this way or that, I confess that I do not ALWAYS hit exactly where I would like in the woods. (don't stand hunt) then a larger caliber is probably in order. When I was a kid I shot a buck that had a broken front shoulder; he had been shot in the shoulder. After gutting it I saw a hunter tracking him up the hill so I waited for him. He had shot the buck a couple of miles away and had been tracking him ever since. The bullet broke the shoulder but did not penetrate to put the buck down. The hunter shot him with a .243. That stuck with me, I have never had that trouble with the bullet not penetrateing with my .444.

It's not the cartridge, it's the person pulling the trigger! Personally, I believe the .243 is a great beginner's choice with limited range based on a new hunter's skills. I've had to track a lot of deer that were shot with a .243; but I attribute that to the shooter and not the choice of caliber. For me, I don't have the confidence in a .223 or .243 for me to consistently make killing shots with those cartridges on deer. On the other hand, I know people who kill deer with .22 magnums, .17 hmr, and plenty who use a .22-250 and always drop their deer in it's tracks. I'm not that good, and my eyesight absolutely isn't. That's why I use a .308 or a .270 for the majority of my rifle hunting, and a 12 gauge loaded with either #1 or 00 buckshot when hunting with dogs.

If you have the skill and can make the shot consistently, then by all means don't hesitate to use whatever cartridge you feel comfortable with. After all, shot placement is what kills deer, not the size of the bullet!